At a Glance

Celebrate history, traditions and the season’s magic in Richmond’s Capitol District. You’ll delight in holiday splendor at a Gilded Age estate, a fabulous 1895 hotel, St. John’s Church and Lewis Ginter Botanical GardenFest with a festive dinner and expert-led evening walk through its fantasyland of flowers, trees, lights, conservatory displays and woodland sculptures.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles a day; stairs at historic sites.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 10 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you'll ...

Expert lectures and field trips to historic homes, museums and gardens present the culture, traditions and living history of four centuries in historic Richmond.

Discover other sites decorated for the season like the Capitol and Executive Mansion, John Marshall House, the Valentine Richmond History Museum and Wickham House.

Examine splendid architecture and the legacies of leaders such as Chief Justice John Marshall, Presidents Washington and Jefferson and patriot Patrick Henry with presentations at historic sites.

Featured Expert

All Experts

Catherine DODSON

After earning a B.S. in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Catherine Dodson became the activities director for a retirement facility. She returned to VCU to study gerontology and for her practicum in 1989, worked on Road Scholar learning adventures . When Catherine received her M.S. in 1990, she joined VCU Road Scholar as a full-time group leader.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Afternoon: Orientation will take place at the hotel meeting room at 5:00 pm.

Dinner: Dinner will be at the hotel's second floor dining area at 5:45 pm. Buffet choice of three entrées, two salads with dressing options, vegetables, rolls, and assortment of desserts.

Evening: Class: Enjoy an introductory class about "Christmas Traditions" and a preview of the historic homes, churches, museums, gardens and other locations that you will be able to visit during this program.

DAY

2

Maymont, St. John's Church, Jefferson Hotel

Richmond

B,L,D

Delta Hotel Richmond Downtown

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel. Buffet with choice of eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, fresh fruit, juice bar, cereals, pastries, and beverages. Chef made to order omelets with a selection of fillings and made to order waffles.

Morning: Class this morning: "Four Centuries in the Capitol District" explores the history, personages, events and traditions in Richmond's celebrated Capitol District. After class, depart for Maymont Arboretum. At Christmas, Maymont sets the tone for Christmas in the Gilded Age. We'll tour the lavish estate that is opulently decorated with original furnishings, giving a glimpse of the wonders of wealth and luxury and the differences between "upstairs, downstairs" at the turn of the century. For more than 30 years, Maymont has been a special part of the Christmas season in Richmond - the estate comes alive with the warmth, sights, sounds and all the traditions of a Victorian Christmas.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel. Buffet with choice of three entrees, two salads with dressing options, vegetables, and assortment of desserts.

Afternoon: Our first field trip this afternoon is to historic St John's Church,which was the setting for the Second Virginia Convention and Patrick Henry's famous "liberty or death" speech. We'll have a special lecture inside the Church, and there will be a little time to see the grounds and visit the gift shop before we depart for our excursion to the Jefferson Hotel. Visiting the Jefferson Hotel at Christmas has become a Richmond tradition even -- and perhaps, especially -- if you couldn't find the time to attend the annual tree-lighting ceremony. This historic hotel is especially elegant at Christmas, with special music and local school performances during the month of December. Commissioned by entrepreneur Lewis Ginter, the Jefferson Hotel opened in 1895 to wide acclaim, and it immediately hosted the wedding of famous journalist Charles Dana Gibson to the "Belle of the South" (and of Richmond), Irene Langhorne. Ginter commissioned sculptor Edward Valentine to create a life-sized marble statue of Thomas Jefferson as a centerpiece for the upper Palm Court lobby. This elegant hotel is one of just a handful of 5-star, 5-diamond hotels in North America.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel. Buffet choice of three entrées, two salads with dressing options, vegetables, rolls, and assortment of desserts.

Evening: Class this evening...more Richmond history and culture...and preparation for your field trips tomorrow.

DAY

3

Court End houses, Lewis Ginter Gardens & Festival of Lights

Richmond

B,L,D

Delta Hotel Richmond Downtown

Activity note: Access to second floors of historic houses is only by stairs. Walk in garden in evening is primarily on hard surfaces, with some gravel paths; lighting levels will vary; distance is at participant's option, from one-quarter mile to one-plus miles.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel. Buffet with choice of eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, fresh fruit, juice bar, cereals, pastries, and beverages. Chef made to order omelets with a selection of fillings and made to order waffles.

Morning: Class contines with Richmond history and traditions.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel. Buffet with choice of three entrees, two salads with dressing options, vegetables, and assortment of desserts.

Afternoon: We'll spend the afternoon in Richmond's historic Court End neighborhood. Court End became a preferred residential section in the 1780s, after Virginia's capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond. Court End today is a mix of VCU's Medical Center and Hospital and historic sites. Sites with special activites and decoration for the Christmas season include the John Marshall House, the Valentine Richmond History Center & its 1812 Wickham House, Monumental Church, and the Museum and White House of the Confederacy. These sites feature historic holiday decor, costumes of the era, and traditional holiday events.

Dinner: We'll travel from the Court End District to Lewis Ginter Gardens, where we'll have a splendid holiday dinner before viewing the Gardenfest of Lights. Buffet includes several choices of meats, vegetables, potatoes, salads and other vegetarian options, and desserts.

Evening: Prepare to be enchanted during this delightful evening at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. We'll begin with a talk just for our group, followed by a tour of Gardens that have been transformed by nearly one million lights into a fantasyland of flowers, bowers, fairies, woodland creatures, special Christmas displays, trains, and other delights.

DAY

4

Program Concludes after breakfast

Richmond

B

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel. Buffet with choice of eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, fresh fruit, juice bar, cereals, pastries, and beverages. Chef made to order omelets with a selection of fillings and made to order waffles.

Morning: Your program ends after breakfast. Checkout time for hotel rooms is 11:00 a.m.

Meals

8 Meals

3 Breakfasts

2 Lunches

3 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Low Fat, Vegetarian, Low Salt, Gluten Free

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

The Delta Hotel by Marriott is a modern hotel in downtown Richmond. The hotel is located next to an urban park called Kanawha Plaza, across the street from the new Dominion Resources corporate headquarters, and two blocks from the financial district. A walk of three blocks leads to the public parks along the James River and to the historic Tredegar Iron Works, location for the Richmond National Battlefield main visitor center and for the American Civil War Center. Six blocks away in the other direction are Capitol Square, established in 1787, and the Shockoe Slip District, popular with visitors for its 19th C. historic architecture and numerous restaurants. At the lower end of Shockoe Slip is the restored Kanawha Canal, offering boat rides in season.

A good history of how Richmond came to be, Capital, St John's Church, etc. However, the program billed as "A Very Richmond Christmas" did not hold up. Little, if no history of Christmas traditions, only 1 tour at Maymont had anything to do with Christmas. Interesting that none of the speakers talked about the Civil War and how that played into Richmond's history or Christmas Traditions. One speaker said they specifically didn't want to talk about the Civil War.